London: A Muslim religious leader in Britain has been charged with raping a 12-year-old boy while he attended mosque for religious lessons, a media report said. Mohammed Hanif Khan, 42, allegedly sexually assaulted the boy inside the Stoke-on-Trent mosque where he worked as the imam, the Daily Mail reported.
Khan is also charged with the attempted rape of and sexual activity with the boy's cousin, who was 15 at the time, as he stayed over at his home one evening. Khan, from Sheffield, appeared at the Nottingham Crown Court and spoke only to confirm his name and to enter not guilty pleas to all eight charges against him.
He is charged with three counts of rape, four counts of attempted rape and one count of sexual activity with a child, which allegedly took place between July and October 2009.
Prosecutor Tariq Bin Shakoor told the jury that Khan's job as imam of the mosque was to lead prayers and to give Islamic education lessons to boys who attended evening classes there.
He said that in police interviews, the 12-year-old boy - who cannot be named - said he was singled out by Khan following the evening prayer on about half a dozen occasions.
"On each occasion it happened at the mosque, usually after the formal prayers in the main prayer hall. The defendant would request him to lay out his red prayer mat in a different part of the mosque. That is when the remaining prayer would be completed individually and not in congregation," Shakoor said.
"He seems to suggest that usually the defendant would take him through the door marked 'private' and into the sitting room area, and into the room with cushions on the floor used by committee members."
The prosecutor said the accused chose different places within the mosque that were not covered by CCTV cameras. He said the boy described the defendant asking him before the alleged abuse, "Do you want some?" and when the boy replied in the negative, the defendant would say, "For God's sake, just say yes".
In October 2009, the boy told his father about the incidents. The youngster - who is now 13 - said the abuse went on for around two months before finally coming to an end.
Prosecutor Shakoor said the last occasion happened Oct 16, 2009, when the defendant told him that he was going to take him somewhere else and "do it to him specially".
He said the boy told police that the accused was considered a very important figure among the Muslim community.
"He gives an account of his knowledge of the defendant, his position, his roles in public life and how he perceived him to be a powerful man of high standing. His family trusted him and the defendant had a strong following. Such was that following that people would be prepared to die for him," the prosecutor said. Khan was arrested Oct 19, 2009.
Film buff cop nabs Bollywood-inspired burglar
Manjeet Singh was arrested from Gurudwara Guru Nanak Satsang in Sham Nagar area soon after he committed the theft yesterday, V Renganathan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), said. He allegedly stole cash from two cash chests of the gurudwara.
"He had created an escape route before committing the burglary," he said. Singh was spotted hiding on the roof of the gurudwara by beat constable Naresh who has seen some movie in which the hero was a burglar who used to first create escape route whenever he used to break into any house.
Naresh also recalled that the burglar in the film also used to identify a hiding place within that house which could be used for hiding just in case of a real-time threat and to walk out later once the situation allowed to do so.
"When the policeman asked him who he was, the person replied that 'Log Mujhe Jugnu kahte hai kyonki mein raat ko chamakta hoon' (People call me 'Jugnu' (firefly) because I glow in the night)," Renganathan said.
He was identified as Manjeet Singh and a personal search yielded Rs 4,844 of currency notes and Rs 2,958 of coins), a clock and some other articles. "Singh told police that he was inspired by the film 'Jugnu' and used the same modus operandi to commit the theft," he said.
The police had reached the spot soon after gurudwara officials informed them about the incident. Two cash chests were missing. "The crime scene was inspected and it was found that the burglar had climbed up the balcony of the first floor by using the hard top of an already parked Tata Sumo adjoining the gurudwara.
"Thereafter, the burglar had taken the help of the rain water pipes to reach the second floor balcony. Once in the second floor balcony, the burglar had removed the grill of one of the windows of the main hall of the gurudwara to enter it and reached the cash chests.
"It was observed that all the exit doors of the gurudwara had been unbolted by the burglar, probably to use as escape routes in a contingency," Renganathan said. The cash chests were found lying on the stairs going to the roof. An intensive searche was conducted at the gurudwara but could not find the culprit.
"Not satisfied with the results, Naresh again started the search minutely and it was at the roof top that he found Singh," Renganathan said.
Pak journalist among 14 killed in target killings
Islamabad: A journalist of a private television channel was shot dead by a group of assailants in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi, where at least 14 others were also killed in a series of target killings, police said.
Wali Khan Babar, 29, who was working with the Geo News, was attacked near Liaquatabad Dak Khana bus stop Thursday evening when he was going home in his car, the DawnNews reported Friday quoting a senior police officer.
"Initial investigation suggests that Babar was stuck in a traffic jam when a man stopped in front of his car. The man pulled out a pistol and fired several shots at Babar before returning to his associate waiting across the road on a motorbike to disappear from the scene in a flash," said Deputy Inspector General of Police (West) Sultan Khawaja.
The police found five empty cases of .9mm bullets from the scene. Babar received bullets on his forehead, face and neck. The official ruled out mugging attempt as motive behind the firing, and said, "It appeared to be a premeditated murder".
The Express Tribune reported at least 14 people were killed and 20 injured Thursday in a spate of violence that broke out in the city after a senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP) was attacked.
Police said that Bashir Jan, Sindh ANP's information secretary, suffered a bullet injury on the hand, while his two guards were shot in the legs and abdomen. They were rushed to a hospital.
Most of the firing incidents took place in parts of Orangi Town, including Banaras, Bukhari Colony, Kati Pahari.
One Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) worker, Hammad, who was also said to be a relative of MQM leader Shoaib Bukhari, was shot dead in the Liaquatabad area. A bus in Banaras was fired at, killing six commuters on the spot.
The report also said two men were killed in separate incidents of firing in Liaquatabad and Banaras metroville, while another man was shot dead in Korangi Chakro. Late at night in Orangi Town, a man was killed by firing, while the body of an unidentified man was found near Jam Sadiq bridge Friday morning.
Four bodies and eight injured were brought to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, three bodies and two injured to the Civil Hospital Karachi and one body and seven injured to Qatar Hospital. Law enforcement agencies were put on high alert following the incidents.
Kin burn alive 70-year-old over canal water dispute
Ludhiana: In a shocking incident, a 70-year old man was burnt to death by own kin over the distribution of canal water.
In a state where agriculture is the backbone of the economy, there have been murders for ownership of land in the past, and now with agriculture under great stress, murders over water and even over availability of labour are beginning to take place. The first murder over labour was recorded in Punjab in June 2009, in Muktsar.
On Thursday night, Iqbal Singh (70) was burnt alive following an argument over distribution of canal water needed to irrigate crops. This incident took place at Chahal village 3 km from Faridkot.
The area police have registered a criminal case under sections 302 and 34 of IPC against four youths Gursewak Singh, Jaspreet Singh, Avtar Singh and Sewak Singh, all grandsons of the deceased's brother. The accused, who since the time of crime are absconding, are also residents of the same village.
The police have registered the case on the basis of a complaint made by Inderdeep Singh, grandson of the deceased. Inderdeep Singh has claimed, "both families did not share a cordial relationship.
"Despite the legal distribution of the land, my cousins had in the past too quarreled with my grandfather and me many a times. This thing had been going on for some 15 years now but never had we thought that the issue would take such an ugly turn."
Singh claims that he along with his grandfather Iqbal Singh had gone to the fields on Wednesday night to irrigate them. "It was our turn for getting water. My grandfather was in the fields while I was inspecting the flow of water. I suddenly heard cries of my grandfather and saw him engulfed in flames. I rushed towards him and saw my cousins fleeing from the spot." The case is being investigated by Inspector Narinder Singh.
SSP Faridkot Gurmeet Singh Randhawa said that, "Preliminary investigations had revealed that the clash took place over just 11 minutes of water supply from the canal. The old man diverted the flow of water to irrigate his fields while the accused youths opposed him", said the SSP.
Newly-married woman found dead
New Delhi: A woman, married exactly a month earlier, died in mysterious circumstances in north Delhi Thursday, police said. Her husband and some members of his family are being questioned.
Anju Yadev, 22, was brought to the Sanjay Gandhi Hospital in the afternoon, where the doctors pronounced her dead. Following this, a police officer there informed his seniors And Anju's husband, Rohit Yadav, 24, was detained for interrogation.
"The body has been sent for post-mortem. After the autopsy report only can a murder case be registered. As they were married Dec 13 last year, a sub-divisional magistrate inquiry has been set up," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Chayya Sharma told IANS.
"Anju and Rohit had a love marriage and knew each other for long. We cannot say anything more for now," said Sharma. Anju was working as a beautician in Patel Nagar, while Rohit was working as a driver. After marriage, both of them were living in Rohit's house in Aman Vihar.
Doctor, wife suffocate to death at home
New Delhi: A 65-year-old homoeopathy doctor and his wife suffocated to death after gas from a heater filled their bedroom in their south Delhi home Thursday, police said.
A police official said that the incident was reported from Paryavaran Complex in south Delhi's Lado Sarai at around 2.30 p.m. and the victims were identified as Avinash Prasad and his wife Prerna, 58.
The bodies were discovered after their domestic help reached there Thursday morning and after getting no response to her repeated knocks, informed the neighbours.
One of the neighbours called on Prasad's mobile phone but no response was received and then the neighours called up the couple's relatives were informed. The flat's window was broken and locals entered inside to find the couple lying dead. Police was informed and a police team reached the spot to investigate.
"The doctor and his wife were sleeping in their room in the third floor of the apartments. It was closed from inside. They were sleeping with their gas heater on and doors bolted. The gas filled in their room and they died due to suffocation," a senior police official said.
Vadodara: A motorcycle-borne man in Dahod town bled to death on Wednesday evening after receiving slashes by a kite twine laced with glass shards. Reports said at least five persons were injured in various parts of central Gujarat in similar incidents.
According to Dahod police, Mayur Kulchandani was crossing the overbridge from Station Road on his bike when a Chinese-made twine laced with plastic and glass particles injured him severely.
"It seems the victim bled to death since medical help did not reach on time. Residues of twine has been found on his body," police said.
An elderly woman was injured near Vejalpur in Godhra with a stray twine while she was crossing the road. In Vadodara, according to SSG Hospital, at least five persons from various parts of the city were brought there after being similarly injured.
The Vadodara police, following warnings by the State Forest and Environment Department, have asked people not to use Chinese threads and local kite-makers have been warned not to sell glass-laced threads.
According to a Forest and Environment Department notification, about 50 lakh kilometres of threads are used in the state during the kite festival of Uttarayan on the Makar Sankranti Day.
"The wholesale dealing in Chinese threads should be stopped well in advance so that they do not stock such threads before Makar Sankranti Day," said the notification sent to all districts.
Thieves steal $90,000 from Argentine president travel fund
Buenos Aires: Thousands of dollars for expenses during an upcoming Middle Eastern tour by Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner were stolen Thursday, Argentine media reported.
Three criminals travelling on motorbikes allegedly stole the money - $68,000 and 17,000 euros, for a total value of over $90,000 - as an employee of the presidency was taking it to the city airport in Buenos Aires.
The official stopped on the way from the presidential palace to the airport and was attacked then. He reportedly filed an official complaint on the incident.
Fernandez de Kirchner was leaving later Thursday on a tour that was to take her to Egypt for a private visit till Sunday, and then to Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey on official visits.
Source: Indian Express & Agencies
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